Not in New York anyway. There was no repeat here of the two high profile meltdowns which the 30-year-old from Palm Beach Gardens has experienced at this venue in the last three years, but she put her followers through the wringer in this dramatic 6-2, 2-6, 7-5 victory against Victoria Azarenka.
This was Serena's 15th grand slam title in all, inching her closer to Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova on the all-time list, but it was in serious jeopardy, only achieved after her Belarusian opponent had failed to serve for the tournament.
It was only her fourth US Open win, a number which still seems surprisingly low considering her latest title came 13 years after her first one, during which time she has been the dominant player in the women's game. But it marked a homecoming of sorts after injuries and Flushing Meadows misadventures in two of the last three years and made her the first thirtysomething to win this title since Navratilova 25 years ago.
"I honestly can't believe I won," she said afterwards. "I was preparing my runner-up speech." This was the first time all year Azarenka had lost a match which went to a final set, and in the first women's US Open final to go into a decider since 1965, she so nearly maintained her perfect record.
At 5-4 up in the third set, she was dreaming of adding the US Open title to her Australian Open title, not to mention the girls' title she won here back in 2005. But at crisis point, the 30-year-old came up with the goods.
The way this match started it was a surprise it got this far. Serena forced a glut of breakpoints in the Belarusian's very first service game, took one and before long it was the World No.1 who was remonstrating with the umpire. "You're hilarious," the 23-year-old said when she was forced to replay one point. An astonishing two-handed backhand from Williams set up set point, and then another two gave her the set 6-2.
But a strange sense of fuzziness seems to overtake Williams in her home slam. Her serve was lost in the very first game, the advantage soon doubled as Azarenka streaked to a 5-1 lead. There was a tightening of the Belarusian's service motion as she served for the set with two double faults in a row but she found resolve from somewhere and soon we were into a final set.
Neither girl was holding serve with any confidence in the final set but Williams blinked first, Azarenka breaking serve in the third game of the set, only to surrender her lead immediately. When a Williams forehand flew long, Azarenka had something else to cling to, but her serve went to pieces at the crucial moment, and when a forehand from the Belarusian went long on championship point, the title was in the bag.
Williams fell to the ground and lay flat on her back, before jumping around in disbelief. "Serena deserved to win," said Azarenka. "She showed how true a champion she is."
